It almost feels like we should be writing a diary at this point.
“Day 8 without any football”.
If there’s one thing that this work stoppage has done, it’s allowed players like Enda Stevens to recover from their latest injury setback. That’s all well and good, but eventually, he’s going to be fully recovered from that knock, and with the Premier League currently on hiatus, who knows when that is going to be.
Speaking to RTE’s ‘Morning Ireland’, Stevens talked about the current situation and what solution he wants to see brought to the forefront:
“Hopefully things will die down as quickly as possible and we can get back playing. The safety of the players, staff and the fans will come first, if they are to get back into the stadium. If it means that we cannot do it that way, it will have to be behind closed doors and that is something that we will have to get our heads around.”
I think Stevens raises a good point here.
Whilst I will admit that I am not a medical expert, I do speak as a football fan, and a sports fan in general, and sports can act as a great distraction from what is going on in the world. American Sportscaster Mike Tirico spoke about the impact that sports can have during tragic events in the wake of 9/11, “Sports is a gathering place that reminds us that we go forward and do stuff.”
What would you rather have?
Games start ASAP behind closed doors
Wait until fans are allowed into grounds
That’s why I think we need to focus on getting the games on as soon as we possibly can, and if that means sacrificing having to play it without a live audience, then so be it.
If the players and relevant staff (such as coaches, physios etc) are tested and proven to be healthy, that should be the green light for games to go ahead. Because whilst we may not be able to see what is going on in person, at least we’ll have the opportunity to watch something that is actually of some level of importance, rather than having to rely on flashbacks and other nostalgia acts to try and get us through the work stoppage.
Give us something to look forward to and distract us.
What about you? Would you be happy to see the Premier League return early if it meant games would have to be behind closed doors? Or do you think we should wait for it go get to a level where fans are allowed into grounds?